The Female Response (partially found Tim Kincaid sexploitation film; 1973)

This article has been tagged as NSFW due to its nudity content and discussions of feminism.

Theatrical poster.

Status: Partially Found

The Female Response (In the United Kingdom: Everybody's At It^[1]) is a 1973 sexploitation film that was written and directed by Tim Kincaid and produced by Richard Lipton. It starred Raina Barrett, Jacque Lynn Colton, Michaela Hope, Marjorie Hirsch, Jennifer Welles, Gena Wheeler and Roz Kelly. The film is a first Tim Kincaid's directorial work.

Plot

After quitting her newspaper in frustration over the severe editing of her article on the sexual revolution, reporter Marjorie remains determined to learn what modern day women think about their lives after feminism. After conducting several on-the-street interviews asking both men and women about their thoughts on the sexual revolution, Marjorie organizes a women-only seminar on sexuality. The seminar is composed of six women: married Leona, legal secretary Rosalie, free spirit Sandy, high-class call girl Victoria, elegant Andrea and dental hygienist Gilda. Each woman responds to the seminar because of issues in their sexual lives: Gilda confides to a startled patient that she chafes under the traditional expectations of her mother, who believes a woman should remain a virgin until married, and is angered over the lingering societal notion that not being a virgin is bad. Leona, who has been married six years, has grown disenchanted with her businessman husband Mark’s growing attention to work, which has caused their sexual activity to dwindle sharply. Andrea, a striking, wealthy blonde, enjoys dressing attractively and driving a sports car, but is unable to allow herself to have romantic relationships. Victoria, who has been comfortable with working as an exclusive sexual companion to wealthy men, is surprised to find her thoughts drifting to marriage and settling down. The romantic virgin Rosalie daydreams constantly at work about how and when she will find true love, but, as she is slightly overweight and insecure, she fears she will never get over her inhibitions to have a sexual life. At the meeting, Marjorie explains she intends for the group to discuss their current lives and changes each woman would like to make, then to meet again in one month to discover if the changes have been implemented. Young, carefree Sandy begins the discussion by asking why women marry. Startled, Leona states that security is a primary reason and Gilda, who is single, suggests constant sex would be another reason. Andrea asks Sandy if her parents accept that she does not intend to marry and she replies they do not pry into her private life. While Victoria explains her mother encouraged her to have sex before marriage as long as she was cautious, Rosalie laments that her inhibitions will keep her inexperienced all her life.

Puzzled by the others’ acceptance and longing for marriage, Sandy insists that she does what she wants with whom ever she chooses. When asked if she hitchhikes, Sandy admits that she does frequently and has never been afraid as she always feels she can control the men from whom she accepts rides. Pressed by the others, Sandy relates a recent experience when she was hitchhiking in the country near her private cabin and offered a ride by a young man, Gary, who described himself as a “square.” Nevertheless, Gary agrees to try the marijuana offered by Sandy and, at her cabin accepts more drugs, which leads to an afternoon of sex in the woods. Sandy concludes by asking again why women should marry if they can have all the sex they want without the other burdens of relationships. When Rosalie expresses admiration for Victoria’s lifestyle, Victoria agrees that she enjoys making a sizeable amount of money and sleeping with successful, usually handsome men, but reiterates her growing desire to settle down with one man to whom she would give sex whenever he wanted. Leona points out that marriage is not that simple. Acknowledging that her marriage has left her detached and empty, Leona admits she needs something more in her life than just Mark. Leona describes how she married young and her early married life was filled with romance and sex. When Mark became more interested in work, Leona confesses that her overwhelming loneliness drove her to tolerate an obscene phone call and even find the experience erotic. Meanwhile, Rosalie wonders if there is any way she could have the freedom and excitement of a prostitute and yet still eventually become a wife. Gilda then produces several underground sex newspapers replete with advertisements for a variety of sexual offers. Although Sandy laughs at Gilda’s combination of horror and fascination with the sex ads, Andrea admits the ads make her uneasy. The women then decide to end their meeting and gather together in one month. Four weeks later, the women reconvene and under Marjorie’s inquiries reveal some startling changes: Leona admits to trying to make the most of Mark’s brief time at home and reports they have had more sex, but she still feels unfulfilled. Rosalie shyly admits to having joined a swingers club and losing her virginity with two married couples. Victoria reports having fallen in love with a client, Tom, who has proposed marriage. Andrea, who has admitted to being intensely private, reveals that when dropping off her sports car for repair recently, she flirted with the mechanic. Later when the man showed up at her apartment, she had sex with him and found the experience pleasurable. Gilda relates having answered one of the sex newspaper ads and having been involved in a bondage situation that she had to escape, but nevertheless found intriguing.

The women conclude that the sexual revolution has allowed them greater freedom in their lives to choose how to express themselves and find pleasure. Pleased at their seminar experience, most of the women agree discussing their lives has made each of them more willing to make changes. Several days after the meeting breaks up, Leona decides to leave Mark and start life anew, Victoria accepts Tom’s proposal, Sandra continues hitchhiking, Andrea feels light-hearted and happy and Gilda answers an ad from a man who demands that she dress like his mother in order to reach sexual fulfillment. Working on a new freelance article, Marjorie finds satisfaction from the knowledge gathered in her seminar and soon begins dating Andrea’s mechanic.

Cast

Raina Barrett as Leona
Jacque Lynn Colton as Rosalie
Michaela Hope as Sandy
Jennifer Welles as Andrea
Gena Wheeler as Victoria
Marjorie Hirsch as Marjorie
Roz Kelly as Gilda
Lawrie Driscoll as Karl
Edmund Donnelly as Mark
Todd Everett as Gary
Richard Wilkins as Tom
Phyllis MacBride as Rachel
Suzy Mann as Ramona
Curtis Carlson as Alex
Herb Streicher as Max
Anthony Scott Craig as Caller
Richard Lipton as Leland

Credits

Director: Tim Kincaid
Writers: Tim Kincaid, David Newburge
Producer: Richard Lipton
Music: Bill Reynolds
Cinematography: Arthur D. Marks
Editor: Graham Place
Original Art and Sculptures: Richard Corben, Aaronel DeRow Gruber
Sound: Graham Place
Conductor/Music Arranger: Manny Duran
Production Company: The Filmpeople, Inc.

Production & Release

Filming was began in New York City and completed in October 1972. The film's world premiere was took place in January 1973. The most known theatrical release of the film was on October 17th, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. It also was released in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Availability

Due to its lack of home video releases, the footage of the film is hard to find. As of 2023, the film's trailer available online. Aside from the trailer, film posters, stills, newspaper clips and lobby cards are also available online.